What Does The Bible Say About Accepting God’s Call? When reading the Bible, we frequently hear of people being called by the Lord God Almighty for a specific ministry or service. There are many examples of people being called by the Lord God in the Bible for His service. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Ezekiel, and many others were called by the Lord God Almighty to be His Prophets. Likewise, Paul was called by the Lord God: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:1). Likewise, the Old Testament priests were called by the Lord God to their special work (Hebrews 5:4; cf. Exodus 28:1). To be called by the Lord God Almighty is to be chosen by Him for certain purposes. When a person is aware of God’s calling in his/her life and surrenders to it, he/she starts living out the Lord God’s purpose for his/her life.

2 Chronicles 29:11 says, “My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.”
Isaiah 49:1 says, “Listen to Me, O islands and coastlands,
And pay attention, you peoples from far away.
The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He has named Me.”
Jeremiah 1:4-5 says, Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Galatians 1:14-18 says, “And [you have heard how] I surpassed many of my contemporaries among my countrymen in [my advanced study of the laws of] Judaism, as I was extremely loyal to the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had chosen me and set me apart before I was born, and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles [as the good news—the way of salvation], I did not immediately consult with anyone [for guidance regarding God’s call and His revelation to me]. Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia and stayed awhile, and afterward returned once more to Damascus. Then three years later I did go up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and I stayed with him fifteen days.“
1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:“
Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ“
John 12:26 says, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
Matthew 20:25-28 says, But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What Does The Bible Say About Accepting God’s Call?

The Lord God Almighty called the entire nation of Israel to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Likewise, the church, redeemed by the blood of the beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ, is called: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). The Lord God’s calling of Israel was to showcase His salvation to the pagan world. Sadly, Israel rejected that call by following idols and as a result never flourished in the way the Lord God wanted to prosper them. Nevertheless, the Lord God’s call today is to all those redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ to showcase to the world God’s love, mercy, grace, and salvation (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:16). The Lord God is actively involved with His Universe than many people actually think. The Lord God is sovereign over the Universe and all creation as confirmed by Isaiah 46:9–11. Although the Lord God created humankind to be freewill beings and as such possess the freedom to make choices, His choices have already been made (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:10–18). Likewise, Romans 11:29 says, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

John 3:16 says, “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Behold, we are called by the Lord God to Salvation. In the New Testament, the Greek word ekklesia translated “church” means “a called-out assembly,” or “the called out ones.” God’s call to salvation involves conforming us “to the image of his Son.” Both His election and call to salvation are part of an eternal plan for us that guarantees our inheritance in heaven: “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:29–30). After salvation, we are further called to grow in Christian virtue and serve the Lord God by good works. As a matter of fact, it is this maturation process in the Christian faith that confirms our calling by the Lord God (2 Peter 1:5–10). The Lord God has provided us with Spiritual Gifts to aid us in our call to service in His vineyard. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He sees fit and then calls us into a field of service that makes use of those gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1–11).

Biblical Facts About Being Called By God

Behold, each and every Christian has a calling in his/her life. In fact, we were designed before the foundation of the world to be His workmanship, glorifying Him as we bring forth the fruit He desires.
Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “ just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—“
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].“

Generally, the Lord God’s call to service usually begins with a burden for a particular need that relates to His kingdom. Some are called to the political arena where they can contribute to ending things like child abuse, and human trafficking, as well as contributing to the well-being of society in one way or the other for the glory of God. Others are called to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Worship leaders, Bible translators, or to a host of other avenues that honor and glorify the Lord God (Matthew 23:34; 1 Corinthians 12:27-31; Ephesians 4:11). In this way, each one makes use of the gifts the Spirit has given to bring honor and glory to God’s name. We discover our call to a specific area of service by walking closely with the Lord God, loving Him, obeying Him, and offering ourselves as living sacrifices  (Romans 12:1–2; Colossians 1:10). With time, we’ll grow spiritually and develop sensitivity to the voice of the Lord God. He can confirm His call in any way of His choice. Most of the time, confirmation can come through Scripture, godly counsel, fruitful results, natural gifting, and/or a sense of “rightness” that does not conflict with any of the other Scriptural confirmations.

Responding To God’s Call

When the Lord God calls us, He leads us into an awareness of the call. When we accept His calling on our lives, He prepares and equips us to be successful in His service. In the field, our callings are manifested through the works we are able to accomplish by the strength and gifts that God prepared and equipped us with. For example, a person may begin to have a burden for a particular foreign nation and its people regarding their salvation and spiritual well-being. The burden was placed there by the Lord God as part of His calling. The person makes further research about that nation and enrolls in a missions-focused school as his/her way to prepare for the work ahead. Once on the mission field, he/she is willing to suffer hardships and separation from family and friends because the call of God is his/her greatest motivation and focus. Apostle Paul wrote, “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Notice that God’s call on Apostle Paul’s life became his motivating force. Acts 9:15–16 says, But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a [deliberately] chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will make clear to him how much he must suffer and endure for My name’s sake.”

In answering God’s call, we must obey His instructions in Scripture. By being faithful to the call of obedience, the Lord God can call us to more specific areas as well as increase our responsibility in his vineyard.
Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.“
Matthew 25:21 says, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’“
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 12:1-29 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God